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3 Sheets--Sheet 1.

(No Model.)l

M. P. ROBERTS. WIRE DRAWING MACHINE.

' No. 877,884.v lPatented Pebl; 14, 1888.

Nv PETERS Phowuhngnpher, wmingwn, n c.

(No Model.)

-WIRE DRAWING MACHINE.

atented Feb.114, 1888.

N. PETERS, PhnlmLihugmphnr. Wuhngion. ILC.

(No Model') s sheets-sheds. I 1vI.I.IIoBERTs.

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE.

` Patented Feb. 14,- 1888,

A m. f my@ www FETES. Phuqblbogmpllur. Washington. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

MARTIN FENN ROBERTS, OF KILBURN, COUNTY OF MIDRLESEX', ENGLAND.v

WIRE-DRAWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,864, dated February 14, 1888.

Application led May 13, 1887. Serial No. 238,087. (No model.) Patented in England September 24, 1886, No.12,1736 in France i May 11, 1887, No. 183,502; in Belgium May 11, 1887, No; 74,420, and in Canada June 15, 1887, No. 26,957.

To all? whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN FENN RoBERTs, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Kilburn, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire-Drawing Machines, (for which I have received Letters Patent from the following countries, viz: Great Britain, No. 12,136, September 24, 1886 5 France, No. 183,502, Mayv 11, 1887; Belgium, No. 74,420, May 11, 1887, and Canada, No. 26,957,.J une 15, 1887,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wire-drawing machines wherein wire is drawn through a series of dies and is reduced severalv sizes at one operation; and it consists in certain improvements, novel arrangements, and combinations, as hereinafter fully described, and as set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views. y

Figure 1 is a plan of a wire-drawing machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one side, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the other side, of the same. and 6 are detail views of the die-holder and lubricating device in the arrangement illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Figs. 7 and 8 are views illustrating an alternative mode of mounting the die-holder and die.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, c designates the frame-work of the machine; b, the reel or swift, (shown only in Fig. 1,) on which the wire to be drawn orreduced in diameter is wound.

c c' c2 ca c4 cS are the flanged drawing-through pulleys, round each of which the wire is taken,

say, twice, on its passage through the machine from the reel b to the wire-drawers block d, on which it is finally wound. Between each pair ofdrawing-through pulleys is xed a bracket, a', which supports a die-holder, c, and its die, through which the wirepasses, the construction and arrangement of thev die-holder v e being hereinafter more fully`desoribed.

The drawing-,through pulleys c c c2 c3 c4 c5 are secured on short shafts f, supported and free to revolve in bearings f in the frame'- Figs. 4, 5,'

work a, and on the other end of.' each shaft f is secured a friction-disk, g, driven by a friction-disk, h, mounted on a counter-shaft, c', there being as many counter-shafts t' as there are friction-disks h. Each friction-disk g is` -held in contact with its drivingdisk h bymeans of a spiral spring, y', compressed be# tween a bearing, f', and a fixed collar, fz, on the shaft f, and each friction-disk h is free to slide on arfeather-key on its counter-shaft 'i nearer tofor farther from the center of its disk g, in order that the speed at which'the latter is driven may be regulated as required. This sliding movement of each disk h is effected by. means of a series ofclutch-levers, k, fulcrumed on the framing at 7c'. IOne end of each lever engages a groove in the boss of onev of the friction`disks h', while the othere'nd lies in a space or recess formed for its reception in a nut or screwed block, gl, through which passes a screw, Z', supported in a stationary bracket, m, and operated when necessary by a hand-wheel, Z2.

Each connter-shaftt' is supported in bearings in brackets n, secured to the frame a, and is driven b ears o o o2 o3 o4 o5, res ectivel Y g 4h can'be adjusted to regulate the driving of each drawing-through pulley to the exact speed required. Y

The arrangements 'for driving and regulating the speed of the wire-drawers block d are identical with those described for the drawingthrough pulleys, the block d taking its motion Y from the gear p on the shafts; but instead of being mounted directly upon the shaft f the block d is xed upon a vertical shaft, t, which is free to revolve in a bearing or foot-step, u, in the frame, andis driven by means of a gear, t', from a gear, f5, fixed on the shaft f.

The thorough lubrication of the Wire during I the drawing process is most important, and for roo this I employ a trough` or' reservoir, lv, which Iv I vcontains the lubricant, Vand over 'wh-ichrfwolve a series of disks, w, preferably grooved and fixed one on each drawingthrough pulleyshaft f and one on a separate shaft, f3, which is driven by a band, f*, from its adjoining shaft f, the lower portion of each disk w projecting into the lubricant in the trough. The lubricant carried round by these revolving disks w is collected therefrom and carried to the die-holder e by means of strips of metal w', each bent to form a channel and secured, by a screw and wing nut, 102, to an arm, w3, bolted to the bracket, as best shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

To prevent the dies x, through which the wire passes, from undulyl wearing, owing to their not being in the direct path the wire traverses from pulley to pulley, I adopt a mode of supporting them whereby they automatically adjust themselves to the required position. The construction and arrangement of die-holder e, I prefer to employ for this object are best shown in the detail views, Figs. 5,6, and 7.

The die-holder e consists of an open frame, in one endl of which is formed a recess for the die x, secured therein by a screw, w. This dieholder is suspended in its bracket af by a gimbal contrivance, to which the outer ring, e', is pivoted so as to turn or swivel horizontally, and the inner ring, e, formed on the die-holder @,is pivoted to the outer ring, e', and is free to turn or swivel vertically. These two movements,in connection with the open frame which extends from the inner ring to the recess for the die, enables the die to move freely to any position, and it thus adjusts itself to the position required for the path the wire travels in passing from one to another flanged drawingthrough pulley. In the ring e'z is secured a half-tube, forming an open channel, e3, which receives the lubricant carried from the revolving disk w by the strip or channel w. The wire passes along the 'channel es to the die x, and thence to the next drawing-through pulley, and the die-holder e is weighted by means of a weight, e, suspended from the tube eiin order to exactly counterpoise the end containing the die w, so that the whole is in equilibrium, and the die or drawing hole is sensitive to the slightest pressure, whether lateral or vertical.

For convenience in threading the wire, I prefer to make a slot, e5, (see Fig. 4,) in the outer ring, e', and a corresponding slot in the inner ring, e2. The lubricant, as it escapes from the channel e, falls down into the trough or reservoir o.

An alternative form of die-holder e is illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8, in which the gimbal arrangement is dispensed with and the dieholder e suspended by a ball-and-socket or universal joint. The bracket cLis formed with a socket to receive a ball, e, formed on the die-holder c. In this case the slot c5 is made in the bracket u and a corresponding slot in the ball e6. In each of the several modifications, however, a self-adjusting die-holder is formed.

It is obvious, although I have shown and described gearing for driving the counter-shafts i, that they might be driven by pulleys and belts from the driving-shaft s; also, that any required number of dies and die-holders,with drawing-through pulleys in proportion, may be used.

Having stated the nature of my invention and described the manner of performing the same, I declare that what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination, with the driving-shaft, a counter-shaft driven therefrom, a frictiondisk mounted on a feather-key on said counter-shaft, and means for adjusting the position of said disk on the shaft, of a second frictiondisk driven at varying speeds, as required, by the first-named friction-disk and secured on a shaft upon which a drawing-through pulley is also secured, substantially as herein set forth, for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, with the driving-shaft, a counter-shaft driven therefrom, a friction-disk mounted on a feather-key on said counter-shaft, and means for adjusting the position of said disk on the shaft, of a second friction-disk driven by the firstnamed friction-disk and secured on a shaft geared to a shaft on which is secureda wire-drawers -block, substantially as herein set forth, for the purposes specified.

3. rlhe combination,with a series of countershafts driven at varying speeds, as required, from a driving-shaft, of adjustable friction-disk gearing, a series of shafts driven at varying speeds from said gearing, the shaft which carries the wire-drawers block geared to one of said series of shafts, and the drawing-through pulleys on the remaining shafts of said series, substantially as herein set forth, and for the purposes specified.

4. The combination, in a wire-drawing machine,with a series of pulleys, c, driven at increasing surface speeds, of friction-disks g and 71, respectively, for altering and adjusting the speed of said pulleys,as required, substantially as herein set forth, for the purposes specified.

5. The combination of a series of countershafts driven at varying speeds from a driving-shaft and transmitting motion by adj ustable frictional gearing to a series of shafts on which are secured the drawing-through pulleys, of a trough or lubricant-reservoir, revolving disks, anda channel for collecting and guiding the lubricant onto the wire passing through an open channel secured to the die-holder, sub- IOO IIO

stantially as herein set forth, for the purposes i specified.

6. In a wire-drawing machine, the combination, with a bracket located in the path of the wire being drawn, of a die-holder and a universal joint or connection suspending the dieholder from or upon the bracket and connecting it positively therewith independently of the wire operated upon, substantially as herein set forth, and for the purposes set forth.

7. The combinaton,wth a trough or reservoir containinglubricant and a revolving disk for raising said lubricant, of means, such as the channel w', for collecting and guiding said lubricant onto a channel forming part of the die-holder, and through which channel the 5 wire passes, substantially as herein set forth,

for the purposes specified.`

8. The oombination,with a bracket secured adj ustably to the frame, of a die-holder suspended by a gimbal device, substantially as 1c herein set forth, for the purposes specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as y MARTIN FENN ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

ANDREW BELL, ROBERT BRITTON. 

